Fitness and Health

Do you exercise at least three days a week? Too many of us don’t, but the good news is that is changing. A new Gallup poll shows that more and more of us are heeding the recommendations to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week.

Cortisol is an important body hormone, but when you have too much, or your daily rhythms are out of sync, you can have serious health problems. Lifestyle habits such as a healthy diet and daily exercise are important to keeping the body systems in check.

In my years working as a rehabilitation therapist, the standard treatment for acute musculoskeletal injuries was RICE - Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Without fail, we recommended this protocol to reduce inflammation and pain. Inflammation, we were taught, increases pain and delays healing. But a new school of thought may be turning the RICE protocol on its head.

As parents, we all know that getting our kids off of the couch and away from their screens can be a difficult task. It’s easy for our kids to get caught up in video games and television, but we know that it’s important for kids to be active in order to stay healthy and fit, and to build habits that will last a lifetime. As wearable technology becomes more affordable, many parents are turning to wearable fitness trackers for their kids. We have gathered the best of the best for you, here in one post, so keep reading to find our recommendations for the top fitness trackers for kids.

There has been a trend lately of college programs offering scholarships to younger and younger kids. The Charlotte Observer ran an article today documenting the story of two young boys, aged 9 and 10 years, who have both been offered college football scholarships this month. These boys are committing to a program a decade from now, but at what cost? At nine years old, is it possible for a child to make a decision about his future? Because he has not yet even hit puberty, how can anyone say with certainty that he will even have the physical size and strength to play at the college level? And what is the cost to this child in specializing so young in one single sport?

Are you prepared for summer activites? The kids are home and while you may have activities or camps for part of the summer, you are probably looking for things to do with them while they are home. This is such a valuable time, take advantage of it. With these free things to with kids, you can both learn, bond and discover a new favorite hobby or even perhaps something even greater.

Fun With Your Kids Has Serious Consequences. Children need play for healthy development. Play is like the language of children. It a big part of how they interact with and get to know the world around them. How they feel safe and grow. Just as much, they need us - their attentive, present caregivers. The way we play with them teaches them how to feel and think about the world around them and, most importantly, themselves.

A single dad in Fort Smith, Arkansas bought his 9-year-old son Elijah a bike for Christmas that started falling apart almost immediately. He asked on Facebook if anyone had any parts to get the bike back on the road and got a tremendous response from friends and strangers.

Fatigue is one of the most common and distressing side effects of cancer and its treatment. It is more than just feeling a little tired. Cancer-related fatigue interferes with the ability to do what we might think of as simple things – getting dressed, eating, etc.

When you attend the gym, having weak fingers, makes it difficult to train your upper body and tone up. But, hand weakness has a darker side to it, because it means your body might be dealing with nerve damage. Recent studies have discovered however that exercising have neuro regenerative effects. So, here are the top 3 hand grip strengtheners that can help you retrain your brain and strengthen your fingers.

Impaired cognition and motor function in stroke survivors are challenging hurdles that patients must go through. It is well documented that exercise improves cognition and motor function in healthy individuals. But recently, scientists were able to find that this type of exercise is also able to improve neuropsychological and motor function measures in stroke survivors.

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of health benefits of exercising regularly is: weight loss. But, scientists continue to find out more health related advantages in quitting a sedentary life, and become more active. Here are 5 scientifically proven health benefits of exercising regularly, which goes way beyond weight loss.

There has been a lot of concerns over the years that spending too much time playing digital games can be unhealthy. However researchers are now saying that a type of digital gaming called exergaming which combines gaming with execise can decrease sedentary time and enhance social well-being.

Mayo Clinic researcher reveals what happens when older people exercise at high intensity intervals. The finding shows aerobic exercise performed in short intervals, known as HIIT, is anti-aging, which is something we all need to know.